The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1887-02-18
PENSION VETO.
Without His Approval the Dependent
Pension Bill
lie Treats fxhaustiyely the Whole Question of
Pensions and Strongly Forti1es the
Position Taken
Returned pi,nnnrnysn

Returned Di>npproveu.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1.-The president to-
day sent the following message to the house
of representatives:
herewith return without my approval House
Bill No. 1O,45l, entitled An act for the relief
OF dependent parents and honorabiy discharged
Eodiers and sailors who are now disabled aud
dependent upon their own labor for support"
This is The first general bill that has been sane
TONED by congress- since the close of the late
civil war permitting pension 10 the soldiers
aud sailors VINO served in that war upon the
ground OF service and present disability alone,
and in the entire absence of any injuries re-
reiyed by casualties incidents of such service.
While by almost constant legislation 81 &C the
close of the there has been compensation
awarded for every possible injury received as a
result OF military service in the Union army.
for that purpose have been adminis-
tered with great liberalty, az | have been
supplemented by numerous private acts to reach
special cases. there has not, until now, been an
uvowed departure from the principle thus far
adhered to respecting Union soldiers, that the
bounty of the government In the way OF pen
those who, in the military service snd the line
of military duty, have to greater less eX-
tent, been disabled. But it is u mistake to sup
pose that service pensions such rs are permitted
by the second section of the bill under con-
sideration are new to our legislation. In 1878.
thirty five years after the close Of the Revolu-
tonary war; there were granted to soldiers en-
gagged in that struggle, conditional upon service
until the end of the war. or for a term not
less IDan nine months, ana requiring every Den-
ehcary under the act to be one who is. or there
after ~ reason of his reduced circumstances III
life shall be, in need of assistance from his coun-
try for support" Another law of like character
was passed in 1923 requiring serv ce until the,
c'osc of the revolutionary war; and still another
| passed in ] S3i, providing for those persons not
lncluded in the previous statute, but who served
two years at some time during the war, aud Civ,
ing proper. ionate sum to those who had served
not less than six months. service pension
| law was passed for the benefit of
| THE SOLDIERS OF 1872
In the year ls7l-ttty-six years after the close
of that war-which required only sixty days
| service: and another was passed IN 1875 sixty
| three years after the war-rtquirins only tonl-
teen days service The service pension bill passed
AT this session of congress- thirty-nine years
1 after the close of the Mexican war, for the bene
I lit of the soldiers of that war, REQUIRES either
come degree OF disability OF dependency, or that
the claimant under it's provisions should be
| blxty-two years of age; and iu either case that
| lie should have served sixty days been
actually engaged in battle. It will be seen
| The wars in which its henefciarjes
were engaged than the Others one thirty five
| years and tile other thirty niue years after the
termination of such wars. embraced persons
who were advanced in age assumed to be COM
parativc!y few IN number, and whose circum-
clearly defined and could be quito easily fixed.
The other laws referred to appear TO have been
passed Mt u time so remote from the military
service OF the persons which thaS embraced that
their extreme alone was deemed TO
and need. The number of enlistments
made during the revolutionary war is
stated to have been 3o9 79l, and in the war OF
| 1872, 5T6,G22: but IL Is estimated that On ac-
count of repeated -enlstmcnts the number of
individuals engaged in those wars did not ex-
coed onc-half of the number represented by
these figures. In the war with Mexico the NUM-
Der of eulistments is reported to be ll2,2SO,
which represents a greater proportion of indi-
giduais engaged than the reported enlistments
in The two previous vars. The numDer of pen
s:ons granted under all the laws TO soldiers of
the Revolution is eipen at $1,000: to soldiers OF
the war OF 1912 and their widows. GO, l75: and
The soldiers of the Mexican war and their wild.
0ws. up to June 80, 1855, 1919. This number
Of pensions WIS granted to the soldiers OF a wal
Involving much hardship. for disabilities In
Cured as result CT such service; and 1t was no,
until within the last month that tine few re.
manning survivors were awarded service pen.